Never Shall I Fail
by lawnmowerelf
Summary: When the team needs help near Cascade, Hannibal calls his former Ranger Captain, James Ellison.


Hannibal hated it when a plan went pear-shaped. And this one had gone spectacularly wrong and literally blown up in their faces. He clenched his teeth around his cigar, taking his eyes off the road for an instant to glance at the backseat of the van.

Murdock was curled up as much as he could with the splint on his leg, arms pulled protectively around his broken ribs even in sleep. His hair was singed, and even in the dark Hannibal could just make out the burn marks on his face.

Face was slouched next to Murdock, most of his bare chest covered in bandages that were starting to stain red. One eye was swollen shut, the other only slightly better and dark bruises in the shape of fingers were starting to appear on his throat. Bandages were also wrapped around both forearms from his wrists almost up to his elbows, and two of the fingers on his left hand had been taped together.

In the passenger seat beside Hannibal, BA was mostly just one giant bruise, though Hannibal had been forced to relocate the other man's shoulder before putting his arm in a makeshift sling.

Hannibal himself was only conscious and functioning due to sheer determination and an overabundance of stubbornness. His ankle throbbed every time he even tapped the brakes, his ribs ached with every deep breath and a sharp, stabbing pain spiked behind his eyes every time he even glanced in the direction of another car's headlights.

All four of them needed to rest and recover, but they'd been forced to leave their previous hideout behind along with whatever belongings hadn't been in the van. And while Hannibal thought that they'd finally lost the men chasing them, they had nowhere to go.

He grimaced as yet another car sped past without bothering to dim their too-bright headlights, and the pain behind his eyes suddenly flared, nearly blinding him for a moment. He sighed in resignation. They were going to have to stop somewhere, sooner rather than later. And as much as he hated to admit it, even to himself, Hannibal had no plan.

Then, he happened to glance out at the side of the road just as the van passed a sign that said 'Welcome to Cascade.'

Hannibal snorted quietly and shook his head. "There's a plan in everything."

It was still a long shot, and nothing was guaranteed, but at least there was the possibility of getting some help now. He pulled over to the side of the road, thankful that the traffic was fairly light, and reached for his cell phone. Less than five minutes later, he had the number he needed.

"Ellison."

Hannibal sighed in relief when he actually got an answer, biting back a pained grunt as his ribs protested. "Captain, I'm not sure if you remember me, but my boys and I need help and I didn't have anyone else to call."

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone before Ellison responded. "John Smith. You were in one of my last training groups before Peru." He huffed out a quiet laugh. "I always knew you were going places, though I have to admit becoming a federal fugitive wasn't quite what I expected."

Hannibal winced. He'd been hoping that his former Ranger captain hadn't heard that yet. "About that, Captain...?"

"It's just Jim now, John, and I've taken my cop hat off for the night, so I'm not going to turn you in." His voice turned slightly bitter. "I never thought you did it, so I did a little digging. I know what it's like to be screwed over by your commanding officer; you and your boys have nothing to worry about from me."

Closing his eyes in relief, Hannibal leaned forward to rest his forehead against the steering wheel. "Thank you, Captain."

"John, you sound like hell. Is it safe to assume that your team needs some medical attention as well as R and R?"

Hannibal chuckled dryly, eyes still closed and forehead still braced on the steering wheel. "I don't think it's anything too serious, but we could all use a little more patching up and I'm afraid I'm going to be seeing double before much longer."

There were some rattling sounds over the phone and then what Hannibal thought was the sound of a car door slamming. "Yeah, that's what I thought. I've got a place on the outskirts of Cascade, sort of a just in case hiding spot. Get your boys there, and I'll be there as soon as I stop off for some supplies."

The address Ellison gave him wasn't very far away, and with luck Hannibal thought he could get there in a little over twenty minutes. For the first time since the plan had started to go sideways, he relaxed.

"You don't know how much I appreciate this, Captain."

He could almost hear the smile in Ellison's voice as he replied. "You were one of my men, John. And I take care of my men."

Hannibal smiled as he hung up. "Yes, you do, Captain. You certainly do."


End file.
